Expert Rating

Pros

Cons

Unintuitive navigation wheel, loose USB cap, plays only MP3 and WMA

Bottom Line

The Sony Walkman NWZ-B153 is a good option for users looking for a compact, sturdy and easy-to-carry MP3 player. Its impressive battery life and good overall sound quality makes for a balanced product.

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The Sony Walkman NWZ-B153 MP3 player delivers good sound quality and has a useful three-minute battery quick charge feature. Its unintuitive navigation wheel and limited format support may be deal-breaking for some but it is one of the few good mini MP3 players available today.

The latest from Sony, the Sony Walkman NWZ-B153 is a basic pen-drive MP3 player with additional features over the previous NWZ-B-series of players. In a world where smartphones come with more than capable music playback prowess, let’s see what this pen-drive jukebox has to hold its ground.

Sony Walkman NWZ-B153: Features

Sony has packed the Sony Walkman NWZ-B153 with 4GB of internal memory, FM radio with recording, voice recording via its built-in microphone and drag-and-drop support. The NWZ-B153F plays only MP3 and WMA files, which is disappointing as players like Cowon iAudio E2 let you play FLAC and OGG too. The player features the ZAPPIN function which plays the chorus of the upcoming tracks quickly – to make finding tracks easier.

There is also a Bass On feature with a dedicated button which was not present on the previous model, the NWZ-B143F. The LED around the rotary dial starts blinking when the Bass mode is activated and we wish there was an option to turn the blinking LED off.

The player comes with a unique and useful 3-minutes quick charge feature that charges the built-in battery to last at least 90 minutes of playback. When fully charged, the battery has a rated playback time of 18 hours. The Sony Walkman NWZ-B153 player comes with Sony’s regular earbuds and no other accessories.

Sony Walkman NWZ-B153: Design & Usability

The Sony Walkman NWZ-B153 has a lipstick form factor with the USB connector protected by a plastic cap. Sony has not done much to make this player look different than the other B-series MP3 players apart from the new navigational wheel. It’s not as sleek and classy as the Apple iPod Shuffle but the pen drive form factor is more functional and comes with a screen. The screen is good enough to let you browse menus and playlists but don’t expect it to let you view your album art as it is just a 3-line LCD.

The body is made of shiny plastic which attracts fingerprints, but due to the body being filled up with buttons, smudging isn't an issue. We received the pink-cap and black body combination which we think suits the younger crowd, but there are other variants like black, red and gold. The Sony Walkman NWZ-B153's build quality is good enough to withstand a few drops but the loosely fitted USB cap requires good care.

We had an acceptable experience during our usage - which could have been better if Sony opted for the regular directional flat pad like it did for the NWZ-B143F. Unfortunately, using the new directional wheel on the Sony Walkman NWZ-B153 is hit and miss, and we strongly recommend you give a try before you buy. . The buttons on the front and sides are conveniently located and it has all basic shortcuts for easier operation.

Sony Walkman NWZ-B153: Performance

The Sony Walkman NWZ-B153 player took one hour to fully charge the battery via the PC USB port and the three-minute quick charge feature worked as advertised. Battery life without using the Bass feature is close to the rated 18 hours which is good enough.

When it comes to audio quality, the Sony Walkman NWZ-B153 with its bundled earbuds did a fairly good job with well defined midrange along with subtle bass and highs. Turning on the Bass feature does get some thump in but it also introduces muddiness, disturbing the overall sound quality. Plugging in our own in-ears (Apple In-Ear, Soundmagic PL30, Sennheiser CX300 and Philips SHE9800), the sound was a bit bass heavy with the "Bass on" mode and we preferred to keep the mode off throughout out testing period.

Overall, sound quality is better than most of the mini MP3 players we tested before – that includes the latest iPod Shuffle and the Creative Zen Stone Plus. It falls behind the Cowon E2 in terms of accuracy though, so, it is certainly not going to wow the audiophiles. However, for a mini MP3 player, the Sony Walkman NWZ-B153 scores second to the Cowon iAudio E2 in terms of pure sound quality.

The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.

My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.

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